The Barbary Pirates
The Barbary Pirates were a group of pirates that opperated off the coast of South Africa. They established their rule throughout the seas and reached their most powerful moments during the 17th century, but they were still active until the 19th century. Development African piracy has it's ancient origins. It also gained political significance during the 16th century. It was able to obtain this political significance through Barbarossa. Barbarossa united Algeria and Tunisia as military states under the Ottoman Sultanate and maintained his revenues by piracy. The arrival of powerful Moorish bands in Rabat and Tetouan piracy was able to create a new centre for piracy. This new centre was Morocco. Piratical practices were the cause of several wars between Tripolitania and the United States in the 19th century. Britain made multiple attempts to end Algerian piracy after 1815, and the French finally ended it in 1830. Tripolitan War The United States used its young navy to wage its first naval war against the Barbary states of North Africa. This included the Mediterranean coastal cities of Tripoli, Morocco, Tunis, and Algiers. These states plagued the United States and European merchant vessels by taking money and slaves during their travels. The Barbary Pirates would grant safe passage through the seas in exchange for arms and money. When they increased their demands for safe travel. When Thomas Jefferson refused to pay as president of the United States, Karamanli declared war. The four Barbary states had been troublesome to the United States. It wasn't just a specific state that caused the war. Tripoli's Yusuf Karamanli had one thing that the rulers of the other three states did not have. He had a blood relative who was his rival for power. When the United States discovered that Yusuf had driven his older brother, Hamlet, into hiding before he claimed power the US government decided to try and bring Hamlet back to power. (Barbary Wars) The United States origionally sent a group of four ships into Barbary waters to show off the new naval power they had established. They had no intention of taking the offensive, but did have the order to defend the fleet if attacked. The only battle of this "war" was after a US ship destroyed a Tripolitan schooner without order to do so. Although, on October 31, 1803 the USS Philidelphia, the pride of the US fleet under Captain William Bainbridge, grounded intself on a reef near the Tripolitan coast and resisted all efforts to free it. It was then surrounded by the Tripolitan vessels that made the crew abandon the ship so quickely that they crew failed to render the ship and its weapons useless to the enemy. Yusuf's crew captured the crew and salvaged the ship and its weapons. (Two-Term President) After establishing that Yusuf couldn't remain the master of the Philadelphia, a 62 man force under the command of Captain Stephen Decatur was sent into Tripoli to burn the ship. On February 16, 1804 the american's sailed into the Tripolitan port aboard the Intrepid, which was a ship captured from the Tripolitan fleet on a suprise attack. The Philadelphia was easily taken because it wasn't heavily guarded. The ship was set a flame and the American's claimed a victory. After the United States was able to locate Hamet Karamanli. Their next goal was to gather an army of Hamet supporters. Conflicts across the Mediterranean made sea travel impossible for this troop so they ended up walking into the city of Derna, where they hoped to recruit some of Hamet's rich friends to his cause. Yusuf anticipated this move and exterminated all of Hamet's possible allies and sent his own personal force to Derna. Eaton's little pro-Hamet army arrived there first. His force took Derna by suprise on April 24, 1805. (An English Monarch) Two later battles in May clinched Hamet and Eaton's victory. They were set to move to Tripoli, but they heard news of Yusuf establishing a deal with the United States. He was to realease all American slaves, in return for which he was to recieve a tribute of sixty thousand dollars. Eaton was forced to withdraw, and Hamet and his troops were smuggled to safety, ending America's first war. "The Thomas Jefferson Papers." - America and the Barbary Pirates. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2013. "How Did the United States Defeat the Barbary Pirates?" History News Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2013. "Barbary Pirate." Britannica's Original Sources. Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d. Web. . "Barbary Wars." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. Matthews, Andrew. "Two-term president." Cobblestone Sept. 2012: 28. General OneFile. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. "An English Monarch." New York Times York 17 Aug. 1872: n. pag. Print. The North-American Review and Miscellaneous Journal'' , Vol. 11, No. 28 (Jul., 1820), pp. 166-196 Category:Sources